I thought we were heading straight to the nearest coastline, but Polaris suddenly veered left toward the sea.
I draw the kingdom’s map in my head. Based on our current location, the sea is to the west. If we turn left from there, we’ll be heading south.
Vern City is slightly southeast of here, so judging by the direction alone, it doesn’t look like we’re heading toward Vern City.
I was curious about why we were going this way, but I didn’t ask and just followed Polaris. After all, it wouldn’t make any sense for me to go to Vern City alone.
Thud!
A beast that seemed to be a mix of a reptile and a tiger came running this way and got its head knocked off by a rock.
I didn’t realize the wild animal was charging toward us until I saw Polaris suddenly pick up a rock from the ground and throw it like a baseball.
Hmm.
Unlike in many works, animals that hunt while shouting are almost nonexistent here, and it’s really quiet.
I didn’t even know it was coming until Polaris threw the rock.
“Vel.”
What would happen if I kept following Polaris? I was thinking that when Polaris hesitated for a moment and called my name.
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you scared of the situation?”
Hmm.
I look at the girl who’s about my height. She’s clearly a child. No matter how strong she is, it’ll be a few more years before she becomes an adult.
And now this girl has witnessed someone being killed and realized that a group is moving to kill her.
It’s actually a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for her to cry in fear and be unable to do anything.
It seems Polaris needs someone to empathize with and share her feelings, someone in the same situation. But she’s chosen the wrong person.
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“Yes. I’m not scared.”
I chose to say something that would push her more, hoping she wouldn’t panic until we got to a safe place.
I thought that someone with a determined personality like Polaris would swallow her fear.
“Okay. Just keep following me.”
Huh?
That’s strange. Why did she make a relieved expression? I couldn’t see her face clearly as she walked ahead, so I couldn’t observe her expression any longer.
Even though we’re the same age and height, it feels like she’s treating me like a child. Could she be seeing me as one?
If she thinks that, I’m fine with it.
It’s quite convenient that she thinks for herself and acts on it.
If I let my guard down, I can make things easier when I make a different choice later.
I followed Polaris as she continued to deal with wild animals. At some point, the trees disappeared, and a vast plain appeared.
We had passed through the forest.
And in the distance, beyond the plain, I saw the devastated Vern City.
It seems like Polaris is heading in that direction. After walking for a bit, a long line appeared across the plain.
It looked ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) like fresh tire tracks.
The tracks seemed to have been made by the vehicle that attacked the airship earlier. From this, it seems like the vehicle passed through here.
Polaris stood in front of the tracks, looking back and forth between the direction of Vern City and where the vehicle had gone.
Then, instead of heading toward Vern City, she started walking along the tracks.
“Aren’t we going to Vern City?”
I had to ask. There was a city ahead, but we were heading elsewhere.
“That place is off-limits. Even if there’s no one there, it’s problematic. If there are people, it’s an even bigger issue. From what I know, there’s a small village nearby. We’ll head there. If we’re lucky, we can take a boat from there and return to the capital.”
Hmm. That makes sense.
For Polaris, looking for Victoria isn’t something that needs to be solved right now. Getting out of this place alive is the priority.
Considering Victoria is on the ship right now, following Polaris’s lead seems like the best chance to find her.
“Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
When I said I was ready to go, Polaris gave me a brief look with a subtle expression before starting to walk along the tire tracks.
But if we follow the tracks, won’t we run into the people who boarded the airship?
Isn’t that dangerous?
A small doubt crept up, but I continued to follow Polaris. There’s no need to ask further. If it’s a human threat, I can deal with it.
If we end up fighting, and Polaris gets seriously hurt, I can just turn her into a harvest.
Heh heh.
I thought of a fun future and walked the path behind her.
After walking for a while, we reached a point where a village stood, where a river and the sea meet.
The village itself is quite small. It was the port we stopped at just before heading to Vern City when we took the last boat.
“Hold on a moment.”
“What’s going on?”
Just as we were about to enter the village, Polaris stopped me.
Wondering what was going on, I looked at Polaris, who was pointing toward one side of the village. There, a large vehicle with eight wheels—four on each side—was parked.
On top of it was a long cannon barrel shimmering with heat waves. There had been several instances of this weapon firing before we even saw the village.
It wasn’t a vehicle that had been sitting there for long. In other words, it was the vehicle used to attack the airship. Whoever was chasing us is likely in it.
I asked Polaris.
“It’s an enemy. What should we do?”
This means there are enemies hiding in the village, although we don’t know how many. It’s possible the vehicle is the only one here, but there’s also a chance that this place is being used as a forward base.
But Polaris didn’t answer. As I stepped closer, I saw her pondering with a serious expression.
“If we go in... No. Maybe not me, but if something happens to you, what will I do? If we stay out here, there’s no way to make excuses when someone finds us.”
As I approached Polaris, I could hear her muttering to herself.
The pros and cons of going inside.
The pros and cons of staying outside.
She carefully weighed both sides, and in the end, she made a choice.
“Let’s go in. We need to find out who attacked the royal airship.”
A fierce expression appeared briefly before disappearing. Maybe she’s thinking about revenge.
I nodded, knowing that no matter what happened, it would be interesting. I agreed with what she wanted to do.
And so, we entered the village.
It’s a port town, so it reeks of fish. Surprisingly, there are quite a few people around. There are a lot more people who don’t seem to be from a port town than I expected.
Soon, I understood why.
Most of the people here were originally supposed to be in Vern City. There were people holding signs, demanding to be let into Vern City.
In front of them, there were soldiers occupying a space around a building, with barbed wire surrounding it and a banner saying they couldn’t enter until the riot in Vern City was quelled.
Some shouted that they had important business with companies in Vern City, while others shouted that they needed to bring their families from there.
It’s a chaotic market-like space.
But because of that, it seems like we wouldn’t be recognized as survivors who escaped from the airship.
If two noble girls from a place like this walked into a completely empty port, they’d stand out, but here, where everyone is mixing in, trying to get into Vern City, we’re just lost in the crowd.
Since this is the last port, it seems anyone heading to Vern City would come through here.
As I observed the surroundings, Polaris stood behind one of the people shouting, with a tense expression. Then, she whispered softly to me.
“We’ll stand here for a while. We need to give the impression we came from outside, not the airship. By the afternoon, there will be people who give up and head home. We’ll blend in with them and return to the capital.”
That’s not a bad plan.
Even if we go into the airship, finding out who was inside is difficult. Plus, if it’s a royal airship, we’d have to contact the royal family, not the airline, to know who was on board.
Looking for the passengers who might have escaped would be hard, too.
And since we heard the noise when the airship was shot at, it’s possible the airship was destroyed.
I nodded, and Polaris slowly relaxed.
And at the end of her relaxed arm, her fingers were faintly trembling.
Yes. It’s terrifying. She almost got killed, and that’s still ongoing. There’s no one to rely on.
Even a girl as capable as her wouldn’t be completely fine in this situation.
I know that Victoria is in a very unusual situation.
If Victoria is someone who would do whatever it takes to finish what she started, then Polaris is someone who, even in a tough situation, will force herself to keep going because I’m with her.
If I were a caring person, I would have held Polaris’s hand here, but I didn’t.
Instead, I waited for time to pass.
As the number of protesters grew, the number of soldiers in the area also increased.
I watched as Polaris stood with a weary expression, then shifted my focus elsewhere.
Soon, Victoria will arrive.
Victoria can see this village from the ship right now.
Booom!
The ship’s horn blared.
At the same time, Polaris’s expression, which had been tense, blossomed into a hopeful smile. She seemed to believe they could finally go back.
But how long will that last?
Victoria will definitely try to get into Vern City.
What will happen when the two of them meet?
Victoria, who’s trying to go to Vern City, and Polaris, who wants to return to the capital.
Will they stick together or part ways?
We’ll find out when they meet.
I stood next to Polaris, pretending not to notice the suspicious protest scene, muttering that we’d be able to go back soon.